The economy. In the last week, the government made two big announcements on the economy. First, on Friday, the Department of Labor reported that the economy added 303,000 jobs in March, though full-time unemployment decreased slightly. The total jobs added far surpassed economists' predictions that roughly 200,000 jobs would be added. Additionally, unemployment held steady at 3.8%, continuing the labor market’s hot hiring streak. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the ...
Apr 11, 2024•30 min
President Biden's new student loan cancellation plan. On Monday, President Biden unveiled a new plan that could erase some or all of the college loans for up to 30 million borrowers . The plan comes less than a year after the Supreme Court blocked a broader effort that would have forgiven an average of $20,000 for roughly 40 million Americans. Today, around 43 million Americans own about $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, or an average of just over $39,500 per borrower. You can read today&#...
Apr 10, 2024•27 min
Trump's abortion position. On Monday, former President Donald Trump released a four-minute video announcing his position on abortion. Trump, who teased the announcement over the weekend, appeared to endorse the current state of abortion law, implying it will continue to be left up to the states in the post-Roe era while declining to endorse any national limit on abortion. In March, Trump's campaign floated a national 15-week ban. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under ...
Apr 09, 2024•26 min
The latest on the war in Gaza. This Sunday marked six months since Hamas's attack in Israel on October 7, and the semi-anniversary comes at a major inflection point in the resulting war. In late March, the Biden administration had signed off on billions of dollars of bombs and jet transfers to Israel. But in a tense phone call on Thursday, President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that future U.S. military support for Israel would depend on the implementation of new step...
Apr 08, 2024•28 min
Zach Shrewsbury is a Marine Corps veteran, the grandson of a coal miner, a working-class Democrat, a father, and a proud West Virginian progressive candidate running for US Senate. He talked with Isaac about his background, community organizing efforts, "people first" policy priorities, and his embrace of the socialist label. Shrewsbury also talks about his military experience and how it informs his pro-peace foreign policy views and his thoughts on departing Senator Joe Manchin's ...
Apr 05, 2024•22 min
The Florida abortion rulings. On Monday, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the First District Appeals Court that the state’s abortion restriction does not violate the Florida constituiton’s Privacy Clause. The 6-1 majority decision upholds a state law passed in 2022 to ban any abortion before 15 weeks of pregnancy, and also triggers a stricter 6-week abortion ban passed last spring to be put into effect on May 1. In a separate 4-3 decision , the state court ruled that a constituti...
Apr 04, 2024•28 min
RFK Jr.’s pick for vice president. On Tuesday, March 26, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his running mate in his independent bid for president: Nicole Shanahan, a 38-year-old attorney from California. Kennedy’s decision followed weeks of speculation about his VP shortlist, which reportedly included NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura (I). You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here ....
Apr 03, 2024•28 min
The bridge collapse in Baltimore. On Tuesday, March 26, a cargo ship lost power as it was leaving the Port of Baltimore and allided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing a portion of it to collapse . The allision killed two construction workers on the bridge, while four others are missing and presumed dead , and halted vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore. The operators of the ship, named the Dali , issued a mayday call moments before impact, allowing law enforcement t...
Apr 02, 2024•28 min
As we head into the Easter and Passover season, with Ramadan already here, and with many colleges and organizations observing spring break in various ways, we're giving the team a few days off. We'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, April 2nd. In the meantime, we also know some of you re receiving Tangle for the first time today while others are new, or may want some content to consume while we're gone. To that end, we've pulled together some of our best stuff from the newslette...
Mar 27, 2024•6 min
Violence and unrest in Haiti. Over the past week, more than 230 U.S. citizens have been evacuated from Haiti as a gang-led rebellion continues to surge through the Caribbean nation. In a briefing last Monday , March 18, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel called the situation “one of the most dire humanitarian situations in the world,” saying that "gang violence continues to make the security situation in Haiti untenable, and it is a region that demands our attention.” On Sunday...
Mar 26, 2024•28 min
The terrorist attack in Russia. On Friday night, four gunmen stormed Crocus City Hall, a concert venue outside Moscow, killing over 130 people and wounding over 100, according to Russia's top security agency. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, posting videos from cell phone footage one of the shooters took during the violence. U.S. officials said the Islamic State-Khorasan , the group known as ISIS-K (based in Afghanistan), carried out the attack. U.S. officials had als...
Mar 25, 2024•29 min
On today’s podcast, Isaac and Ari talk about their State of the Union bets, NCAA brackets and Caitlin Clark, Simon Rosenberg - the Democratic strategist and why I can't stop reading him, where we were in March of 2020 and why the media coverage of Trump still sucks. Plus, as always, our Airing of Grievances. You can watch our latest YouTube video, The Zionist Case for a Ceasefire, here . On Sunday, we released Episode 1 of our first ever limited podcast series: The Undecideds . We're fol...
Mar 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Few people have had a closer look at the inner workings of our government than Andy Slavitt. In 2013, Slavitt oversaw the turnaround of healthcare.gov after its disastrous rollout. He then worked as Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) under President Barack Obama, which meant he was overseeing the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Marketplace, as well. In January of 2021, he was brought into the Biden administration as a ...
Mar 22, 2024•52 min
The 32-hour workweek. Last Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a bill to federally mandate a 32-hour workweek. Sanders’s bill is the Senate companion to a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) in the House, the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act , which would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32, lowering the maximum hours threshold for overtime pay for non-exempt employees. Those exempt would include computer professionals, farmworke...
Mar 21, 2024•26 min
The Supreme Court's social media case. On Monday, the Supreme Court seemed likely to side with the Biden administration in Murthy v. Missouri, a dispute between the administration and two Republican-led states (as well as five social media users) over how the federal government can combat misinformation on topics like Covid-19 or election fraud. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can watch our lat...
Mar 20, 2024•27 min
Sen. Chuck Schumer and Benjamin Netanyahu. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on Israel to hold new elections and described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Schumer, the first Jewish Senate majority leader, a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., broke from a longstanding precedent for elected officials and heavily criticized Netanyahu in a 40-minute Senate speech. You can read t...
Mar 19, 2024•27 min
The Georgia election interference case. Last week, there were two major developments in the 2020 election interference case in Georgia. First, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six counts in the sprawling indictment against former President Donald Trump and 14 co-defendants, including three counts specific to Trump. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . On Sunday, we released Episode ...
Mar 18, 2024•27 min
On our premiere episode , we will meet our five undecided voters. Handpicked by the team at Tangle, these voters — from Florida, Ohio, California, Arizona and Pennsylvania — will answer questions about their upbringing, their beliefs, the biggest stories from the campaign trail, what stories are resonating, who they are voting for and why — all up to and then through election day. Each episode we’ll focus on a different storyline from the race, and hear how these undecided voters are thinking ab...
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr 12 min
On today’s episode, Isaac talks with Evan Roth-Smith. Evan Roth Smith is a campaign consultant and pollster whose work includes federal, state, and local races, international opinion research, and independent expenditures and nonprofit advisory. He is a founding partner of Slingshot Strategies , a New York City-based political consulting firm providing communications, polling, and advisory expertise. He is also the coauthor of Putin's Master Plan (2016), a book on Russian foreign policy ambi...
Mar 15, 2024•44 min
Robert Hur’s testimony to Congress. On Tuesday, Special Counsel Robert Hur testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee about his final report on President Biden's handling of classified documents. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video where we tried to build the most electable president ever here and our interview with Bill O’Reilly here . Today’s clickabl...
Mar 14, 2024•26 min
From now until the election, we will follow the journeys of five voters from Florida, Ohio, California, Arizona and Pennsylvania, hand-picked by the team at Tangle, as they navigate through fact and misinformation. We’ll find out what issues really matter to them, what their values are, and ultimately, who will earn their vote. Tangle Media presents: The Undecideds — a limited podcast series leading to the 2024 Presidential Election. Premiering Sunday, March 17. You can subscribe to Tangle by cl...
Mar 13, 2024•1 min
Biden's budget proposal. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden released a $7.3 trillion budget proposal for 2025, which if enacted would raise taxes on the wealthy and large corporations, lower the costs of prescription drugs and housing, and trim the deficit. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video where we tried to build the most electable president ever here and our in...
Mar 13, 2024•30 min
The TikTok ban. On Thursday, a bill that could make TikTok unavailable in the United States advanced in Congress, with a committee voting unanimously to bring it up for a full vote. The bill, called Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, could force the company to be sold or face prohibitions in the U.S. You can read the study mentioned in today’s My Take here . You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice...
Mar 12, 2024•25 min
Biden's State of the Union. On Thursday night, President Biden delivered a combative, campaign-oriented State of the Union, contrasting himself with former President Donald Trump while also welcoming exchanges with Republicans who shouted out from the audience. The president spoke for 68 minutes and mentioned his "predecessor" 13 times. You can read a transcript of the speech here or watch it here . You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and to...
Mar 11, 2024•31 min
Isaac and Ari place some bets on the State of the Union, which took place Thursday evening after the podcast was recorded. They also got into some of the interesting results from battleground states on Super Tuesday, Isaac responded to some feedback on Israel and Gaza, Ari can’t prevent new slang from slipping into his vocabulary, and Isaac tries to locate an odor. You can also check out our latest YouTube video where we tried to build the most electable president ever here and our interview wit...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Kyrsten Sinema. On Wednesday, the Democrat-turned independent senator from Arizona announced she would not run for re-election. Sinema, often heralded as one of the most bipartisan senators in Congress, announced her decision in a video posted to X , where she criticized the state of the Senate and extremism in both parties. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video where...
Mar 07, 2024•25 min
Super Tuesday. On Tuesday, 16 states and one U.S. territory held their presidential nominating contests. There were also a number of important races in California, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama and Arkansas, where voters were deciding the Republican and Democratic nominees for Senate races, gubernatorial races, and more. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video where we...
Mar 06, 2024•24 min
Trump on the ballot. On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that states cannot disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot for his role in January 6, 2021. The ruling overturns a Colorado Supreme Court decision disqualifying Trump and applies to every state in the country. However, the justices were divided on the question of who can enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. This ruling is unrelated to their decision to take up the question of whether Trump is imm...
Mar 05, 2024•38 min
Trump's immunity case. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be tried on criminal charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election. The case is related to charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith that are being heard in a Washington, D.C. federal court. Before the federal appeals court hears the case, the justices released a one-page unsigned order pausing all proceedings and asking the lower court to hold its ruling rejecting ...
Mar 04, 2024•39 min
On this week's episode: Isaac and Ari discuss Aaron Bushnell and the politics of language, chat with special guest Mark Joseph Stern about SCOTUS's decision to hear Trump's challenge to his immunity, look forward to the new Dune movie, and as always, air their weekly grievances. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Today’s clickables: Aaron Bushnell (6:28), SCOTUS Order (22:08), Interview with Mark Joseph Stern ...
Mar 03, 2024•1 hr 4 min
